Rolls-Royce Advances UltraFan 30 with €64M EU-Funded UNIFIED Project A new research initiative led by Rolls-Royce has secured €64 million in EU funding to advance and ground test its next-generation UltraFan 30 engine. The project, known as UNIFIED (Ultra Novel and Innovative Fully Integrated Engine Demonstrations), is supported by the EU’s Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking (CAJU). Over the next two years, the programme will focus on maturing key technologies for a future narrowbody application, with a full ground test targeted for 2028. The 90-inch UltraFan 30 features a pressure ratio of 50:1 and a bypass ratio of 12:1 to 15:1, targeting a 20% improvement in fuel efficiency compared to current engine technologies—an important step toward reducing emissions in the rapidly growing narrowbody segment. As highlighted by Alan Newby, Director of Research & Technology at Rolls-Royce, advancing UltraFan technologies is critical to enabling more sustainable aviation, particularly within the narrowbody market, which remains central to global aviation growth. The UNIFIED programme brings together a strong pan-European consortium, including Airbus, ITP Aero, Lufthansa Technik, TU Darmstadt, Imperial College London, DLR, NLR, ONERA, INSA Lyon, and Aerospace Transmissions Technologies. It is part of the EU’s broader Clean Aviation Call 3, investing approximately €945 million in sustainable aviation innovation. With UltraFan technology under development for over a decade—and following the successful testing of the UltraFan 80 demonstrator in 2023—this latest milestone reinforces industry-wide collaboration to accelerate next-generation propulsion systems and support long-term decarbonisation goals. #Aviation #Aerospace #RollsRoyce #UltraFan #SustainableAviation #CleanAviation #EngineTechnology #Decarbonization #Narrowbody #Innovation #AviationIndustry #NetZero #FutureOfFlight
